Method for aging or maturing ethyl or ethanol alcohol based beverages

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for aging spirits using a novel wooden medallion, where the method requires selecting a type of wood, washing the wood, roasting the wood, and contacting the wood with an ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

None.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENTIAL LISTING, ETC.

None.

BACKGROUND

Present embodiments are related to a method for aging spirits, such asethyl or ethanol alcohol based beverages. More specifically, presentembodiments are related to a method of using a wood medallion or woodsubstance inside a vessel containing an ethyl or ethanol alcohol basedbeverage which greatly accelerates the chemical reactions associatedwith aging as well as the coloring and flavoring of the beverage andsignificantly reduces the amount of time required to age spirits ascompared to the more traditional barrel methods.

Many spirits, such as bourbon, whiskey, tequila, rum, and wine are agedin wood barrels in order to impart flavor and coloring into the spirit.The wood barrels are typically charred in order to aid in the maturationprocess of the spirit. The charring of the wood breaks down certaincomponents of the wood to be imparted into the spirit and further formsa layer of carbon, which helps rid the spirit of certain impurities. Thecharring, for example, turns starches in the wood into sugars, whichthen are caramelized and imparts flavor into the spirit. As the spiritmatures in the wood barrel, the wood absorbs and exudes the spirit asthe ambient temperature and barometric pressure change. This results inchemical reactions between the spirit and the wood and the spirit takingon the flavors and colors of the wood. Traditionally, this process iscarried out in large charred wood barrels and may take several years forthe spirit to obtain the desired color and taste. Further, thistraditional process may result in a loss of up to five to seven percentof the spirit each year due to evaporation from the wood barrel. Thisevaporative loss is colloquially referred to as the “Angel's Cut”. Oncethe maturation process is complete, the spirit is transferred out of thebarrel into containers to be sold to the public.

The traditional maturation process as described above requires asubstantial amount of time to complete before the spirit may be packagedfor retail sale. Further, because the barrels are not airtight,impurities may enter the barrel and further oxidation may occur whichmay negatively affect the color and flavor of the spirit. Additionally,the traditional process does not allow the end consumer to dictate howlong the spirit ages or, in other words, the process does not give theend consumer any ability to control the color or flavor of the agingspirit.

Therefore, in light of the negative traits of the traditional spiritaging process, it is desirable to provide an accelerated spirit aging ormaturation process. It is further desirable to provide a spirit aging ormaturation process that allows for the maturation of a larger volume ofspirits with the same amount of wood that is used in the traditionalbarrel aging process. In other words, it is desirable to provide aprocess that reduces the amount of wood required. Additionally, it isdesirable to provide a spirit aging or maturation process thateliminates the unwanted evaporation of the spirits.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed towards methods andapparatus for aging spirits, such as ethyl or ethanol alcohol basedbeverages. Generally, in one aspect, a method for aging an ethyl orethanol alcohol based liquid product is provided and includes selectingwood, wetting the wood, roasting the wood, and contacting the wood witha volume of ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product. The wood maybe formed into a desired shape, such as a medallion, a medallion with ahole through the wood forming an opening, wood chips, or pulverizedwood. The wood may be formed so as to have a surface area of aboutfifteen square inches to about seventeen square inches per quart ofethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product. The moisture content ofthe wood may be maintained at at least 15% during said roasting step.The wood may be wrapped, for example with metal foil, prior to theroasting step. The roasting step may include roasting the wood in anoven. The wood and ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product maycome into contact with each other in a sealed container, which may beconstructed of glass, ceramic, plastic, or metal. The sealed containermay further contain a filter for removing solid material from the ethylor ethanol alcohol based liquid product. The ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product may be whiskey, bourbon, rum, vodka, tequila,cognac, gin, moonshine, or wine. The wood and ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product may have a volume-saturated wood to volume liquidratio of about 3.85 in³/L. The method for aging an ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product may also include the steps of allowing theethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product to age in a container toform an aged ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product, opening thecontainer, and pouring the aged ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquidproduct through a filter, where the filter is located at the opening ofthe container. Flavors and coloring may also be added to the wood.

Generally, in another aspect, a method of processing wood for use inaging an ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product is provided andincludes selecting a type of wood, wetting the wood, wrapping the wood,roasting the wrapped wood, unwrapping the wood, and charring an outersurface of the wood. The wood and ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquidproduct may have a volume saturated wood to volume liquid ratio of about3.85 in³/L. The method may further include the step of forming the woodinto a desired wood form, which may have a surface area of about fifteensquare inches to about seventeen square inches. The wood form may bechips or pulverized wood powder. The wood form may include a firstcircular face, a second circular face, an edge, and a hole though thewood, where the hole is an opening between the first circular face andsecond circular face. The roasting step may include roasting in an oven,and may include maintaining a moisture content of at least 15% duringroasting.

In another aspect, a wooden medallion for use in aging an ethyl orethanol alcohol based liquid product is provided and includes a firstcircular face and a second circular face, where the first and secondcircular faces are opposing, an edge, where a thickness measurement ofthe edge is defined by a distance between the first circular face andthe second circular face, a hole, where the hole penetrates through boththe first and second circular faces, such that an opening is formed, anda surface area of about fifteen square inches to about seventeen squareinches per quart of the ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product.The wooden medallion may be enclosed in a container with an ethyl orethanol alcohol based liquid product, and the container may be sealedsuch that said wooden medallion is submerged in the ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product. The container may be glass, ceramic,plastic, or metal. The wooden medallion may be processed before use,where the processing includes the steps of selecting a type of wood,wetting the wood, wrapping the wood, roasting the wrapped wood,unwrapping the wood, and charring an outer surface of the wood.

In another aspect, a method for aging an ethyl or ethanol alcohol basedliquid product is provided including the steps of selecting a wood,where the wood selected has a moisture content between about 15% and100%, roasting the wood, and contacting said wood with a volume ofethanol or ethyl alcohol based liquid product. The wood may be formedinto a desired shape, such as a medallion, a medallion with a holethrough the wood forming an opening, wood chips, or pulverized wood. Thewood may be formed so as to have a surface area of about fifteen squareinches to about seventeen square inches per quart of ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product. The moisture content of the wood may bemaintained at at least 15% during said roasting step. The wood may bewrapped, for example with metal foil, prior to the roasting step. Theroasting step may include roasting the wood in an oven. The wood andethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product may come into contact witheach other in a sealed container, which may be constructed of glass,ceramic, plastic, or metal. The sealed container may further contain afilter for removing solid material from the ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product. The ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid productmay be whiskey, bourbon, rum, vodka, tequila, cognac, gin, moonshine, orwine. The wood and ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product mayhave a volume-saturated wood to volume liquid ratio of about 3.85 in³/L.The method for aging an ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid productmay also include the steps of allowing the ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product to age in a container to form an aged ethyl orethanol alcohol based liquid product, opening the container, and pouringthe aged ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product through a filter,where the filter is located at the opening of the container. Flavors andcoloring may also be added to the wood.

It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing conceptsand additional concepts discussed in greater detail below provided suchconcepts are not mutually inconsistent are contemplated as being part ofthe subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations ofclaimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure arecontemplated as being part of the subject matter disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the embodiments may be better understood, embodiments ofthe medallion for use in aging ethyl or ethanol alcohol based beveragesand the accompanying process will now be described by way of examples.These embodiments are not to limit the scope of the claims as otherembodiments of the medallion and the process will become apparent to onehaving ordinary skill in the art upon reading the instant description.Non-limiting examples of the present embodiments are shown in figureswherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the wooden medallionused in the maturation or aging process.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wooden medallion of FIG. 1 beinginserted into a container.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the medallion of FIG. 1 being inserted intothe container of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the medallion of FIG. 1 enclosed in thecontainer of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 depicts an example method for making a wooden medallion for usein aging an ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the spirit aging or maturation process isnot limited in its application to the details and the arrangement ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed or of being carried out in various ways. In addition, it is tobe understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is forthe purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Theuse of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereofherein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalentsthereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms“connected,” coupled,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein areused broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings,and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” andvariations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanicalconnections or couplings.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals indicatelike elements throughout several views, there is shown in FIGS. 1through 5 a method, including the components thereof, for aging ormaturing spirits, such as ethyl or ethanol alcohol based beverages. Sucha method may dramatically reduce the amount of time required to impartthe desired flavor and coloring into the spirit.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a wooden medallion 10 used in anembodiment of the inventive method as further described herein is shown.The wooden medallion 10 consists of a first circle face 12, a secondcircle face 12′ (not visible in FIG. 1), an edge 14, and a hole 16. Thethickness of the edge 14 may be defined by the distance between thefirst circle face 12 and the second circle face 12′. The hole, oropening, extends through the entire thickness of the medallion, suchthat liquid may freely flow through the hole. The medallion may be asolid piece of wood or in alternate embodiments may be constructed frommultiple pieces of wood. The wood selected to age the spirits may beAmerican oak, French oak, cherry, maple, or any other suitable wood.While the embodiment of FIG. 1 is circular in shape, the medallion isnot so limited. Wood for use in the construction and processing ofmedallions is typically pre-dried with a moisture content ofapproximately 15% or less. The wood medallion preparation begins withits geometry, which requires particular attention to the surface area tovolume (“SA/V”) ratio of the medallion to the liquid spirit. Withrespect to traditional wooden barrels, the SA/V ratio is the amount ofsurface area of a barrel that is in contact with a specified volume ofliquid. It is known in the art that the SA/V ratio of the barrel to theliquid spirit is an important variable for determining the rate of woodextraction from the barrel into the spirit. A traditional 200 L oakbarrel has a SA/V ratio of approximately 90 cm²/L.

In order to calculate the SA/V ratio for the wooden medallion 10 of FIG.1, the surface area of what would be the face of the hole sides must besubtracted from the total medallion surface area, while the surface areainside the hole must be added. The following equation represents thiscalculation, where D is the outer diameter of the medallion, d is thediameter of the hole, and t is the thickness of the medallion:

2(πD ²/4)+πD*t−2(πd ²/4)+πd*t  Equation 1

In an example embodiment, a wooden medallion used in the inventivemethod may have a two and a half-inch diameter, a hole in the centerwith a quarter inch diameter, and be three-quarters of an inch thick.Using Equation 1, the surface area of the medallion is 16.2 in², or104.5 cm². In this embodiment, the volume of spirits may beapproximately one quart (or 0.946 L), which would provide a SA/V ratioof about 111 cm²/L, a SA/V ratio approximately 1.2 times that of atraditional 200 L barrel. In another embodiment, the volume of spiritsmay be approximately 750 ml (or 0.75 L), which would provide a SA/Vratio of 139.3 cm²/L, a SA/V ratio approximately 1.5 times that of atraditional 200 L barrel. For a wooden product formed in the shapedepicted in FIGS. 1-4, it is preferred, although not limiting, that thesurface area to volume ratio be 111 cm²/L. It is to be understood thatthe example embodiment is not to be limiting, that the size and shape ofthe medallion and volume of liquid may be adjusted in order to obtain adesired SA/V ratio. It may be desirable for the medallion to be placedin a particular volume of spirits, for example 750 ml, a common volumeused in the spirit industry for consumer purchases. In such instances,the size of the medallion may require adjustment in order to obtain adesirable SA/V ratio. While the medallions may be of various sizes,preferably they are sized to between approximately 0.75 inches and 1inch thick, have a hole between approximately 0.25 inches and 0.3875inches in diameter, and provide between 15 and 17 square inches ofsurface area per quart of distilled spirit. In some embodiments, thewood may be in the form of a pulverized powder.

Additionally, or alternatively, it may be desirable to examine avolume-saturated wood to volume ratio. In particular, this may desirablewhere the wood has been formed into a pulverized powder, making asurface area to volume ratio more difficult to calculate. For a woodenbarrel, the volume of saturated wood is determined by multiplying thebarrel surface area by the depth the liquid penetrates. For example,where a barrel has a surface area of 2790 in² (for a standard 200 Lbarrel) and the liquid penetrates 0.236 in into the wood, the volume ofsaturated wood would be 658.4 in³. The ratio of the volume of saturatedwood to the volume of liquid for a standard 200 L barrel would be 658.4in³/200 L, or 3.29 in³/L. The volume-saturated wood to volume ratio forwood formed as described herein may be calculated similarly. Forexample, where the wood is entirely submerged of saturated, the volumeis calculated as a cylindrical volume minus the volume of the hole, ifany. Using the dimensions of the medallion described previouslysubmerged in one quart of liquid, the volume-saturated wood to volumeratio would be 3.85 in³/L. For a wooden product formed in the shapedepicted in FIGS. 1-4, it is preferred, although not limiting, that thevolume-saturated wood to volume ratio be 3.85 in³/L.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an example method 50 for making a medallion 10for use in aging an ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product isdepicted. While operations of method 50 are depicted in a particularorder, this is not meant to be limiting. In various embodiments, one ormore operations may be added, omitted, and/or reordered.

At block 52, the type of wood is selected. The wood selected may beAmerican oak, French oak, cherry, maple, or any other suitable wood. Thewood may be formed into a desired form. For example, the wood may be inthe form of a medallion, wood chips, pulverized wooden powder, and thelike. In embodiments utilizing a wooden medallion, the medallion may beformed in a circular shape as described in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Inother embodiments, the wood medallion may be formed in other shapes(such as block, pyramid, sphere, and so on) and in various sizes.

At block 54, the wood may be wetted. Since pre-dried wood is preferablyused in forming the medallions into their specific geometry, themedallions are processed by wetting them. The wood selected for use mayhave a moisture content of less than 15%. In some embodiments, thiswetting may include washing the medallions in a liquid solution in orderto increase their moisture content. This liquid solution may be, forexample, water, sugar water, flavored water, juice, candies, oils,oil-based substances, or the like. This process is often referred to as“wood popping,” and it helps to raise the grain structure on the surfaceof the wood. Wood used in traditional barrels must be shaped, which maybe done through the use of steam blown through the staves to make themflexible and to allow the staves to be moved into place. This steamingstrips away flavors (e.g. sugars) and coloring elements. The forming andprocessing of the medallions minimizes the amount of handling, whichcombined with the lack of steaming may allow for better flavor retentionin the wood of the medallion.

Alternatively, it also may be possible to achieve the desired results byusing wood having sufficiently high moisture contents, so as toeliminate the need for separately wetting the wood. In such embodiments,the wood may not need to be wetted where the moisture content of thestarting wood is sufficiently high. For example, where the wood selectedfor use has a moisture content in the range of about 15% to 100%, thewood may not need to be wetted.

Wood contains various sugars in order to supply the various parts of thetree with nutrients, and these sugars are desirable in the process ofaging spirits. As an example, oak trees, which are frequently used inthe construction of traditional barrels, have a lower sugar content thanother trees, but oak trees also contain tyloses. The tyloses haveproperties that ensure the waterproofness of the barrel. In traditionalspirit aging, the barrel is heated from the inside causing the sugar tobe liquefied and the wood to expand, forcing the sugar to come to thesurface and caramelize. These caramelized compounds are desirable andare easily dissolved by the raw spirit, thus adding to the flavorprofile of the spirit. These caramelized compounds also provide colorantto the liquid. Furthermore, natural and/or artificial flavors orcoloring may be used to further enhance the taste and appearance of thefinal product. For example, the wood may be soaked in natural orartificial compounds prior to or after roasting.

At block 56, the wood medallion may be wrapped, and at block 58 the woodmedallion may be roasted. The wrapping and roasting function to increasethe transformation of wood properties into sugars. In some embodiments,the wood may be directly wrapped in a metallic foil, for examplealuminum foil, a heat resistant plastic, glass mold, and the like. Thewrapping of the medallion, for example in a metallic foil, aids in deepheating the medallion during roasting, which helps to breakdown the woodsugars and push them to the surface. Wrapping, for example in themetallic foil, also prevents moisture from escaping the wood too fast,allowing the sugar to move towards the exterior surface of the medallionfaster before the temperature reaches the sugar's caramelizing point.Additionally, the wrapping of the wood functions to keep oxygen, or moregenerally atmospheric air, out. Furthermore, wrapping the medallion, forexample in aluminum foil, has the benefits of being impermeable tomoisture, an excellent conductor of heat, is odorless and non-toxic, andthe foil stays wrapped around the medallion without the need for furthersealing. In other embodiments, the wood may be indirectly wrapped. Insuch embodiments, the wood may be placed in a container, such as a tube,and the container be wrapped. Regardless of the type of wrapping, thewrapping serves to prevent the wood from drying out, which may result inburnt sugars. Therefore, it may be desirable to maintain a certainhumidity, for example at least a 15% moisture content. Furthermore,wrapping prevents the wood from being prematurely charred.

After being wrapped, for example in foil, the medallion is roasted to aspecific temperature for a specific length of time. In some embodiments,the medallion may be roasted for a time period of about three to aboutsix hours. In other embodiments, the medallion may be roasted for a timeperiod of about four to about five hours. In some embodiments themedallion may be roasted at a temperature of about 200 degreesFahrenheit, in other embodiments the medallion may be roasted atemperature of about 530 degrees Fahrenheit, and in still otherembodiments the medallions may be roasted at any temperature betweenabout 200 and about 530 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of roastingmay affect the flavor profile of the resulting spirit. In contrast,traditional barrels are toasted on the inside; however, the exacttemperature, time, and process varies by distiller and is generally keptas a trade secret. Importantly, the medallions are roasted, or exposedto a dry heat and heated or cooked through to the interior of the wood,such that the sugars, flavors, and the like are brought to the surfacefrom the interior sections of the wood. For example roasting may be doneby placing the wood in an oven, microwave, autoclave-pressurized oven,conveyor with a heating element above and/or below. In contrast,traditional barrels are toasted, or browned on the surface of the wood,with a flame, for example by being held over a fire or placed under adry heat source (e.g. a grill). The wrapped medallions are slowlybrought to the desired temperature, in order to allow enough time forsugars and naturally occurring aldehydes, such as vanillin, to bereleased from the wood.

At block 60 the wood may be unwrapped, and at block 62 the wood may thenbe charred. This charred layer, similar to those found in traditionalbarrels, acts as a filter to remove sharp and unwanted flavors fromdiffusing out of the wood into the liquid. However, over-charring mayresult in sugars going from being caramelized to burnt, which may causea bitter taste in the spirit. In order to reduce the amount of bitterflavor diffused into the liquid the depth of the char layer on the woodof the medallion may be minimized. Further, as compared to traditionalbarrels, the inventive medallion may reduce the amount of surface areacharred, which aids in reducing the amount of bitterness in final liquidproduct. The charring may conclude the process of preparing themedallion, resulting in a processed medallion ready for use in aging thespirit.

The spirit aging process begins when the processed wood medallion isplaced in contact with the ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquidproduct, shown at block 64. The ethyl or ethanol based liquid productmay include, but is not limited to, whiskey, bourbon, rum, vodka,tequila, cognac, gin, moonshine, or wine. In some embodiments, thiscontact is made inside of a container for the chemical reactions anddiffusion of flavoring, colors, etc. of the wood into the liquid spirit,but is not so limited. The medallion is preferably placed into thedistilled spirit whole; however, the medallion may be cut into smallershapes, chips, or pulverized prior to being place into the distilledspirit. The container may be constructed of any material known in theart, for example glass, plastic, metal, ceramic, and the like. Further,the container may be of any size or shape desired. The container ispreferably sealed, but the invention is not so limited. It is known inthe art that there is a need to expose distilled spirits, for examplewhiskey, to oxygen in order to facilitate the chemical changes thatoccur during aging. An embodiment with a breathable container wouldprovide oxygen to distilled spirit. Embodiments utilizing airtightcontainers may obtain the necessary oxygen from multiple sources. First,the container may be pre-proofed with water, preferably distilled water,and this can provide enough oxygen to act as a catalyst. For example,the proof of the ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product may bebetween about 80 and about 120 prior to aging. In contrast, intraditional aging processing the spirits begin the aging process with aproof of approximately 120 to 130. Second, the wood of the medallionitself can provide enough oxygen. Third, the unfilled, gaseous spacebetween the liquid and the seal of the bottle can provide adequatelevels of oxygen for the chemical process. Oxygen may also be introducedthrough the use of aquatic oxygen tablets, the use of a bubbler device,or any other method of oxygenation. It should be understood that any ofthese methods may be used alone or in combination in order to oxygenatethe inside of the container.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate a non-limiting example of the inventive medallionin an airtight container. FIGS. 2-3 illustrate the medallion beinginserted into a large opening 22 of the container 20 prior to thecontainer being sealed. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2-4 thecontainer 20 is inverted with the top of the container 24, which maycontain a small opening, positioned downward. The medallion may beinserted into the large opening and another piece 26, for example abottom, added to seal the container 20. FIG. 4 illustrates the container20 upright and sealed after the medallion 10 after insertion into thecontainer 20. The container may also include a filter apparatus tofilter out any solid materials, such as particles or sediment caused bythe wood medallion. In some embodiments, the filter may be placed at thesmall opening of the container; such that the liquid spirit is filteredbefore, being poured out of the container, but it is not so limited. Thecontainer may be sized so as to hold 750 ml (in addition to themedallion), as this is a volume frequently used in the spirit industry,but the volume is not so limited. Alternatively, the container itselfmay be designed so as to accelerate the compounds extracted from thewood, including containers that allow application of external orinternal pressure on the wood surface.

FIG. 5 depicts an example method 50 for processing wood, for examplemaking a medallion 10, for use in aging an ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product. While operations of method 50 are depicted in aparticular order, this is not meant to be limiting. In variousembodiments, one or more operations may be added, omitted, and/orreordered.

An airtight container minimizes evaporation of the liquid. This allowsfor key flavor compounds to remain in the liquid spirit from thedistillation process as opposed to being evaporated. In contrast, intraditional barrels, which do not have a perfect seal, evaporationoccurs from the expansion and contraction of the barrel staves allowingvapor to escape, at a rate that may be as much as five percent a year.This evaporating vapor is known as the “Angel's Cut” in the distillingindustry. By utilizing a wooden medallion in an airtight container, theaging process is not limited by evaporation, as the spirit is aged in asealed container. Consequently, the aging process can continue as longas the wood medallion is in contact with the spirits, thus creating aunique ability for “Endless Aging”.

Additionally, the permeability of traditional barrels also leads toexcess oxidation caused by outside air permeating the barrel. Thisoxidation may impact the taste of the final product due to the unwantedtoxins, flavors, environmental pollutants, and other like substancesthat may diffuse into the barrel, and thus into the spirits containedtherein. By utilizing a wooden medallion in an airtight container thechemical composition and flavor of spirit is not altered by the bydiffusion of uncontrollable substances from outside of the container.

The wood medallions provide a cost effective and efficient way to agethe spirits. A standard 200 L barrel used in the traditional agingprocess has an interior surface area of approximately 2790 squareinches. However, in using the same size barrel but formed intomedallions as used in the inventive method disclosed herein, and eachmedallion having a surface area of approximately 16 square inches, atotal of approximately 408 medallions may be formed. As a result, theinventive method can be used to age approximately 386 L of spirit ascompared to 200 L in the traditional barrel aging process using the sameamount of wood. Additionally, as will be further discussed herein, theuse of the medallions as described above greatly accelerates the agingor maturation process.

In the spirits industry it is known that various chemical compounds aredemonstrative of the chemical changes found in spirits when aged in atraditional barrel, for example esters, lactones, fatty acids, phenols,aldehydes, and the like. Esters are organic compounds generated byreplacing the hydrogen of an acid with an alkyl or other organic group.For example, many naturally occurring fats and essential oils are estersof fatty acids. Lactones are cyclic esters, and oak lactones are key tothe aroma imparted by oak barrels. Fatty acid esters are estersresulting from the combination of a fatty acid and an alcohol. Shortchain fatty acid esters are known to be produced early in thefermentation process; medium chain fatty acid esters are producedthroughout fermentation; and, long chain fatty acid esters are producedmainly at the point of cell death. Phenols consist of a hydroxyl groupdirectly bounded to an aromatic hydrocarbon. For example, naturalphenolic compounds may be used in manufacturing of perfumes or flavors.Aldehydes contain a functional group with the structure —CHO, consistingof a carbonyl center, where the carbon atom also bonded to hydrogen andto an R group. Aldehydes contribute to favorable odors found in agedspirits, for example, cinnamldehyde, cilantro, vanillin, and the like.

The inventive medallion and method disclosed herein accelerate the agingprocess as compared to the use of traditional wooden barrels forproducing an aged spirit product, for example whiskey. Gaschromatography-mass spectroscopy (“GCMS”) was used to compare theconcentrations of commonly observed aging compounds produced from theinventive method and those of various commercially availabletraditionally aged whiskeys. Aliquots were prepared for GCMS analysisthrough liquid extraction with methylene chloride (MeCl₂). Compoundidentification performed using NIST 2014 Mass Spectral IdentificationLibrary to a confidence level of greater than 80%. Information regardingthe instrumentation, software, and operating conditions of the analysismay be found in Tables 1 and 2.

TABLE 1 Instrumentation and Software Gas Chromatograph (GC) Agilent7890A GC with 7693 ALS Mass Spectrometer (MSD) Agilent 5977A withExtractor Ion Source Data Acquisition Software MassHunter versionB.01.07 Data Analysis Software MSD Chemstation version E.02.02 and NIST2014 Mass Spectral Library

TABLE 2 Instrument Operating Conditions Injection Volume 5 μL InjectionType Cold Splitless Inlet Conditions 60° C. hold for 2 min, ramp to 325°C. at 600° C./min, hold Oven Profile 35° C. hold for 2 min, ramp to 240°C. at 10° C./min Column Agilent J&W INNOWAX, 30 m × 0.18 mm ID × 0.18 μmfilm thickness MSD Conditions EI mode, 70 eV ionization energy; scan 35amu to 435 amu

Generally, the results of the GCMS analysis demonstrate that thechemical profiles of commercially available spirits and spirits agedutilizing the inventive medallion and methods are similar. Furthermore,the analysis demonstrated that a week of aging using the inventivemedallion and method results in approximately the same chemicalcomposition as a year of traditional aging, two weeks as two years, andso on. Specific compounds and classes of compounds are discussed herein.

Esters, which are formed by secondary reactions between alcohols andorganic acids during the condensation process, are present in bothunaged and aged distilled spirits. For example, esters may provide agreat deal of flavor character to whiskey and are described as addingfruity and flowery flavors to the whiskey. Many different esters andethyl esters were present in GCMS analysis at varying concentrations.Table 3 includes a list of the esters found in similar concentrations inthe spirit aged using the inventive medallion and method and those agedtraditionally.

TABLE 3 Esters and Ethyl Esters found in Similar Concentration inTraditionally Aged Spirits and Spirits Aged using the InventionMedallion and Method Octadecanoic Acid, ethyl ester Octanoic Acid, ethylester Hexanoic Acid, Ethyl Ester Decanoic Acid, ethyl ester LinoleicAcid, ethyl ester Dodecanoic Acid, ethyl ester Ethyl 9-hexadecenoateTetradecanoic Acid, ethyl ester

Phenols and lactones are among the least volatile compounds analyzed andare largely absent from unaged samples of spirit. Phenolics appear onlyafter distilled spirits come in contact with wood, while lactones appearafter contact with white oak, specifically. These two types of compoundsare responsible for the unique colors and flavors found in aged spirits.It is known that there may be several mechanisms and sources of theseclasses of compounds, for example lignins, the breakdown products due tooxidation, pyrolyzed degradation constituents formed during barrelcharring, etc. Table 4 provides some major phenolics and lactones foundin aged whiskey and their possible sources. These compounds were foundin similar concentrations in spirits aged utilizing the inventivemedallion and method as well as traditionally aged whiskey.

TABLE 4 Common Phenolics and Lactones Compounds found in WhiskeyCompound Possible Source 2-methoxyphenol (guaiacol) Char layer EugenolExtraction Vanillin Lignin breakdown Syringaldehyde Lignin breakdownCis- Oaklactone Extraction Trans- Oaklactone Extraction ConiferaldehydeSecondary reaction Apocynin Secondary reaction

Fatty acids may also be prevalent in distilled spirits, both aged andunaged. However, fatty acids were not included in the GCMS analysisbecause of the relatively poor solubility of fatty acids in methylenechloride and the poor gas-phase chromatographic characteristics of thesecompounds. However, the GCMS analysis was able to determine thequalitative presence of some fatty acids in both traditionally agedspirits and spirits aged using the inventive medallion and method; thesefatty acids are summarized in Table 5.

TABLE 5 Qualitative Fatty Acid Presence in Traditionally Aged Spiritsand Spirits Aged using the Invention Medallion and Method Acetic AcidOctanoic Acid Furfural Decanoic Acid Hexanoic Acid Dodecanoic AcidHeptanoic Acid Tetradecanoic Acid

The inventive method of aging results in compared results as that oftraditional aging by the diffusion of wood/chemicals from the medallioninto the distilled spirit as previously discussed. However, due to theinventive medallion and method, acceleration of aging is achieved, suchthat approximately one week of aging using the inventive medallion andmethod results in similar chemical properties as commercially availablewhiskeys aged for one year, two weeks as two years, and so on. Lookingat the key compounds such as esters, phenolic, aldehydes, lactones andfatty acids, the inventive medallion and method of aging ages whiskey inthe same manner as barrel aging, although at an accelerated rate.

By using the above medallion and method, distillers may immediatelybottle the spirit and sell to retailers without having to store and agethe spirits for several years. Furthermore, because the aging may bedone in the container the spirit is sold in, the end consumer may electhow long they desire to age the spirit. While the inventive medallionand methods of making and utilizing the medallion are described in termsof distilled spirits, it is to be understood the inventive medallion mayalso be used for aging wine and other ethyl and ethanol based spirits.

The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, andobviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention and allequivalents be defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for aging an ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product comprising: selecting wood; wetting said wood;roasting said wood; contacting said wood with a volume of ethyl orethanol alcohol based liquid product.
 2. The method of claim 1, themethod further comprising forming said wood into a desired shape.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein said forming step includes forming said woodsuch that it has a surface area of about fifteen square inches to aboutseventeen square inches per quart of ethyl or ethanol alcohol basedliquid product.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein said wood is formedinto a medallion.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said wood medallionis formed with a hole through the wood, such that an opening is formed.6. The method of claim 2, wherein said wood is formed into chips.
 7. Themethod of claim 2, wherein said wood is pulverized.
 8. The method claim1, wherein a moisture content of at least 15% is maintained in said woodduring said roasting step.
 9. The method of claim 1, the method furthercomprising wrapping said wood prior to said roasting step.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein said wrapping step includes wrapping saidwood with metal foil.
 11. The method claim 1, wherein said roasting stepincludes roasting said wood in an oven.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein contacting said wood with a volume of ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product is in a sealed container.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein said sealed container is constructed of a material selectedfrom a group consisting of: glass, ceramic, plastic, and metal.
 14. Themethod of claim 12, wherein said sealed container comprises a filter forremoving solid material from the ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquidproduct.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein said ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product is selected from the group consisting ofwhiskey, bourbon, rum, vodka, tequila, cognac, gin, moonshine, and wine.16. The method of claim 1, wherein said wood and said ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product have a volume saturated wood to volumeliquid ratio of about 3.85 in³/L.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein themethod further comprises: allowing the ethyl or ethanol alcohol basedliquid product to age in a container to form an aged ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product; opening the container; and pouring theaged ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product through a filter,wherein the filter is located at the opening of the container.
 18. Themethod of claim 1, the method further comprising adding flavors orcoloring to said wood.
 19. A method of processing wood for use in agingan ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product comprising: selecting atype of wood; wetting said wood; wrapping said wood; roasting saidwrapped wood; unwrapping said wood; and charring an outer surface ofsaid wood.
 20. A method of claim 19, wherein said wood and said ethyl orethanol alcohol based liquid product have a volume saturated wood tovolume liquid ratio of about 3.85 in³/L.
 21. The method of claim 19, themethod further comprising forming said wood into a desired wood form.22. The method of claim 21, wherein said forming step includes formingsaid wood such that it has a surface area of about fifteen square inchesto about seventeen square inches.
 23. The method of claim 21, whereinthe wood form includes a first circular face, a second circular face, anedge, and a hole it has a hole though the wood, wherein the hole is anopening between the first circular face and second circular face. 24.The method of claim 21, wherein the wood form is chips.
 25. The methodof claim 21, wherein the wood form is pulverized wood powder.
 26. Themethod claim 19, wherein said roasting step includes roasting said woodin an oven.
 27. The method claim 19, wherein a moisture content of atleast 15% is maintained in said wood during said roasting step.
 28. Amethod for aging an ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid productcomprising: selecting a wood, wherein the wood selected has a moisturecontent between about 15% and 100%; roasting said wood; contacting saidwood with a volume of ethanol or ethyl alcohol based liquid product. 29.The method of claim 28, the method further comprising forming said woodinto a desired shape.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein said formingstep includes forming said wood such that it has a surface area of aboutfifteen square inches to about seventeen square inches per quart ofethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product.
 31. The method of claim29, wherein said wood is formed into a medallion.
 32. The method ofclaim 31, wherein said wood medallion is formed with a hole through thewood, such that an opening is formed.
 33. The method of claim 29,wherein said wood is formed into chips.
 34. The method of claim 29,wherein said wood is pulverized.
 35. The method claim 28, wherein amoisture content of at least 15% is maintained in said wood during saidroasting step.
 36. The method of claim 28, the method further comprisingwrapping said wood prior to said roasting step.
 37. The method of claim36, wherein said wrapping step includes wrapping said wood with metalfoil.
 38. The method claim 28, wherein the roasting step includesroasting said wood in an oven.
 39. The method of claim 28, whereincontacting said wood with a volume of ethyl or ethanol alcohol basedliquid product is in a sealed container.
 40. The method of claim 39,wherein said sealed container is constructed of a material selected froma group consisting of: glass, ceramic, plastic, and metal.
 41. Themethod of claim 39, wherein said sealed container contains a filter forremoving solid material from the ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquidproduct.
 42. The method of claim 28, wherein said ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product is selected from the group consisting ofwhiskey, bourbon, rum, vodka, tequila, cognac, gin, moonshine, and wine.43. The method of claim 28, wherein said wood and said ethyl or ethanolalcohol based liquid product have a volume saturated wood to volumeliquid ratio of about 3.85 in³/L.
 44. The method of claim 28, whereinthe method further comprises: allowing the ethyl or ethanol alcoholbased liquid product to age in a container to form an aged ethyl orethanol alcohol based liquid product; opening the container; and pouringthe aged ethyl or ethanol alcohol based liquid product through a filter,wherein the filter is located at the opening of the container.
 45. Themethod of claim 28, the method further comprising adding flavors orcoloring to said wood.